Threatened Species
The Cheat Mountain Salamander
Scientific Name: Plethodon nettingi
Description 
One of 30 species of salamanders known to exist in West Virginia, the Cheat Mountain Salamander is the only endemic species of vertebrate in West Virginia. It is one of the smaller variety of woodland salamanders. It normally has a length of approximately 4 inches from the tip of its snout to the tip of its tail. It is generally black or dark brown with brassy or silvry flecks on its back while the underbelly is dark gray. The tail and the body are roughly the same length and the body has 17 - 19 vertical grooves on the sides. They have no external covering of scales, hair or feathers. Additionally they are lungless and breath through their skin and th elining of their mouths.
The Cheat Mountain Salamander spends the winter underground and emerges in the spring when the weather has warmed. The female will lay 8-10 eggs which she will then guard until they hatch sometime in late August or September. When they hatch they resemble adults of the species. They reach maturity in 3-4 years and can live for 20 years. The young stay with the adults until they mature, at which time they will establish their own territories.
Habitat
The habitat of the Cheat Mountain Salamander is the cool moist red spruce forest with Bazzania (a liverwort) for ground cover and plentiful leaf litter, fallen logs and sticksof . A number populations have also been found in the mixed hardwood forests that replaced the red spruce stands that were previously timbered.
 The range of this salamander is small compared to most other woodland salamanders. Indeed the entire range comprises a mere 935 square miles. Within this range there a number of disjunct populations. Generally they are found above 2680 meters in elevation with most populations residing in areas over 3500 feet. The range begins along Backbone Mountain in Tucker County and extends south to Thorny Flat in Pocahontas County.
Threats
Threats to the Cheat Mountain Salamander are comprised of any activity that would result in the degradation of the high elevation red spruce and mixed spruce/hardwood forests especially where that degradation would lead to the exposure of the forest floor to sunlight. Sunlight would dry out the cool, moist conditions these salamanders require. Any activity that clears litter from the forest floor is also a threat in that it leads to additional population fragmentation because these salamanders will not cross bare surfaces. |
